Finding My Way
by sunystone
Summary: Super shy and socially awkward Seth has always had difficulty talking to people. What happens when he has to work with a partner for a class project? Will meeting Riley help him break out of his shell?


**A/N: **_I've decided to repost this story here on ffn. I had it on here for several months before ffn started deleting stories. __This story was originally written for the Slash Writers' Workshop Facebook Group's Pic Prompt contest. I may decide to continue the story at some point...maybe...I don't know...lol  
_

_This is the first story I've ever written, so please be gentle. Special thanks go to my pre-reader kgq, my beta harrytwifan, Yulliah, , Jasper1863Hale, DelphiusFanfic and everyone else from the SWW group who gave me encouragement!_

**Summary: **_Super shy and socially awkward Seth has always had difficulty talking to people. What happens when he has to work with a partner for a class project? Will meeting Riley help him break out of his shell?_

* * *

Sitting at my desk, all I can hear is the rapid beating of my heart. Professore Volturi has just informed the class that we will be working on a project due at the end of the quarter and we have to pick a partner to work with. The moment I heard the word "partner" my breathing picked up and my hands started to shake. In my panicked state, I realized that I blocked out what the project was going to be on. Fuck! What kind of project would we work on for Beginning Italian anyway?

The sound of chairs moving brings me out of my thoughts. I look around the class and find that everyone is moving around the room to partner up. By the looks of it, many people seem to know each other. Well good, maybe luck will be on my side and everyone will have a partner and I can convince Volturi that I'm fine working on my own. Maybe if I make myself look busy no one will look my way? Quickly, I open up my notebook and review Tuesday's homework assignment on conjugating the verb 'avere'. Trying my hardest to look busy, and hoping like hell I become invisible, I jump at the sound of someone softly clearing their throat. My heart hammers in my chest as I slowly look up and see a very cute boy with brown hair, a gorgeous smile and the most beautiful hazel eyes I've ever seen looking at me.

"Ciao. Do you want to partner up?" he asks.

Realizing that I'm still staring at him, I thankfully snap out of my trance and reply, "Um...okay…sure."

"Great!" the boy says, sits down at the desk next to mine, and turns to face me. Um, okay...now what? Am I supposed to say something?

"Studenti!" Volturi interrupts my thoughts. "Now that you have all partnered up, for the next trenta minuti I would like for you to have a 'get to know each other session' completamente in italiano!"

What?! I'm having a hard enough time trying conjugate verbs! This is not good. I can feel my hands start to shake again, so I close my eyes and try to calm down.

_Deep breaths. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out…_

"Are you okay?" asks the boy. Shit. This guy probably thinks I'm crazy, sitting here with my eyes closed and breathing like an idiot. Way to make a first impression, dumbass!

"Yeah, I'm okay," I mumble. Sighing, I open my eyes and turn towards him. I'm too afraid to look at him, so I look down at the floor instead.

"Well, should we begin?" the boy asks.

"Um….I guess." I say back in almost a whisper.

"Okay then. Ciao, io mi chiamo Riley," he says smoothly. I see a hand come into my view.

_Holy fuck. He sounds hot when he speaks Italian..._

Wiping my hand on my jeans, I slowly grasp his and look up. "Um…io mi chiamo Seth."

"Piacere di conoscerti, Seth," Riley says.

"Uh…I don't know what cono-whatever means. Sorry, I'm lousy at this language. You should really look for another partner," I say, hoping he realizes that he'll probably fail this class if he works with me. I look down again, letting my hair hang down to cover my face. I must have spaced, because I didn't realize my hand was still in his until I felt him give it a squeeze and then let go.

_How embarrassing..._

"Seth," I hear Riley say. I shut my eyes, willing myself to disappear.

"Seth," he says again. Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes, look up at him, and see him giving me a smile. "I don't want to find another partner. I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. Italian is a fun language to learn. I can help you with it."

I guess this guy isn't going to give up anytime soon. It seems to me that he knows this stuff pretty well, judging by how well he pronounces the words…

"Look, I'm having a really hard time trying to understand everything we've been taught the past three weeks. I didn't pay attention to Volturi when he told us what the project was about, I'm completely clueless, and I'm not used to working with people. Are you sure you still want me as your partner?" I huff all that out in one breath.

_Please say no. Please say no. Please say no._

"Of course I'm sure. Professore Volturi said that we need to come up with a creative project on anything Italian. It could be about music, film, food, history, etc. Whatever we want, and at the end of the quarter we have to give a presentation to the rest of the class completely in italiano."

My eyes go wide in shock. We have to what?! Oh, hell no. There's no way I can stand up in front of the class and present something in a language I can barely understand! I can't even do that in English!

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that you aren't too keen on giving a presentation?" Riley asks.

"Am I that obvious? The truth is that it freaks me out," I reply, and mentally cringe at the sound of my shaky voice.

"Well, let's not worry about the presentation now. We have plenty of time to work on it, and I'm sure you will do fine. So, shall we get started on getting to know each other?"

"Okay," I say after taking a deep breath. Riley grins, showing off gorgeous dimples.

We spend the next twenty minutes getting to know each other. I can barely formulate questions and answers without referring to my book every five seconds, and it doesn't help that every time Riley speaks, I turn to goo. I find myself staring at his lips as he speaks to me in Italian, mesmerized by the way he rolls his Rs, how he hangs on to the sound of the double S.

_Who knew a language could sound so sexy?_

At the end of class, Riley stops me just as I'm making my way to the door. "I don't know what your schedule is, but do you want to meet up for coffee before class on Tuesday? We can discuss ideas for the project if you'd like."

Fuck. The project. I had forgotten already.

"Coffee? Um...okay. I have time before class. Where should we meet?" I ask.

"How about we meet at 9 at the coffee shop near the bookstore?"

"Okay then. See you Tuesday," I say, and make my way out the door.

* * *

The rest of the morning flew by fast, and I have no idea what I learned in any of my classes, since I had trouble concentrating. Now I'm at work at the library and I'm no better. I keep dropping books and forgetting where things go. Thoughts of Riley have invaded my mind. How I even managed to have a conversation with him was a mystery; I've never been good at talking to people. Being ignored by my father had turned me into a very shy kid who was afraid to speak to anyone for fear of being rejected. Instead of being a parent, he preferred locking himself in his room with a bottle of jack then spend time with me.

So now I'm left wondering why I agreed to meet Riley for coffee. It's one thing to have to talk to someone for class, but to do it in a social setting? With other people around?

_Dammit! I should have said no. I can't do this._

Thankfully my shift ends, and I make my way to my favorite grocery store. The parking lot is crowded when I arrive, but luckily I find a spot near the front. I always go a little crazy when I shop here, buying more than I need because everything looks good. I discovered my love for cooking back in junior high, when I moved in with my father's friend Billy and his son Jake, after my father's drinking got worse. Billy had trouble getting around because of his health, and Jake was lousy in the kitchen, so I took over the task of cooking.

I make my way into the store and stop to pick up a few bouquets of flowers to brighten up the apartment. I can never walk past the flower section and not pick up anything. After loading my cart up with more food than the average person can eat, I make my way into the frozen food aisle and stop dead in my tracks. At the end of the aisle I see Riley. I can feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest at the sight of him. Not wanting him to see me, I quickly turn around and start grabbing stuff from the freezer, not paying attention to what I'm throwing in the cart.

_This is ridiculous! Why am I reacting this way? Calm down, calm down! Maybe he won't even notice me if I don't look his way..._

Taking several deep breaths, I feel my heart calming down. I look into my cart and notice I grabbed ten bags of naan bread, and five bags of mashed potatoes. Shaking my head at my stupidity, I put it all back and focus on what I actually do need to buy.

After spending several minutes looking in the dessert section, I finally decide on crème brûlée, since it's one of my favorites. I reach into the freezer at the same time as someone else and we end up bumping arms. "Sorry," I mumble, and pull my arm back quickly and wait for my turn.

"Seth?" The voice makes me jump. I look up and see Riley standing there with a crème brûlée box nestled in his hands.

_So much for him not noticing I'm here..._

"Riley...um...hi...what are you doing here?" Feeling my face heat up as I slowly die of embarrassment, I look down and stare at my shoes.

'_What are you doing here?' What else would he be doing here?! We're at a grocery store! Oh gawd! Kill me now._

"Picking up a few things for the weekend," Riley replies. "I'm not much of a cook, so that's why I come here since they have great frozen food options, and of course for the desserts. Crème brûlée is one of my weaknesses." This causes me to look up.

"Mine, too!" I say, as I grab two boxes of my own. "Um, my favorite part is the burnt sugar on top." I can feel that stupid blush again.

_If only I didn't turn as red as a tomato every time I talk to this guy_...

"Riley!" a female voice from behind me calls. "There you are, I was looking for you in the produce section." I turn around and see a short girl with short black and pink hair walking up to us.

"Hey, Alice. Sorry, I bumped into Seth and we started chatting. Um Seth, this is my friend Alice. Alice, this is Seth."

"Seth?" Alice asks. "Seth, as in the guy from Italian class? Riley's told me _all _about you. It's a pleasure finally to meet you!" Alice exclaims, grabbing my hand and shaking it.

Finally meet me? I glance at Riley in confusion, but he's glaring at Alice. "Um...we just met today," I say, releasing my hand from hers.

"Huh? Only met today? But Riley's been talking about you for the past three we-"

"Alice!" Riley cuts her off. For some reason his face is red. "Yes, we just met today. We are going to be working together on a project for class. Alice, why don't you go grab some drinks for Sunday, while I grab whatever else I need from the freezer."

"Sunday!" Alice exclaims. "Oh my god, Seth, you have to come! We're having a barbecue at the house; Peter's going to be grilling, and I'm sure Riley would love to have you there! It'll be so much fun!" I stare at her with wide eyes. I've never been invited anywhere, so I'm not sure what to say.

"Alice, calm down. I'm sure Seth has other things to do this weekend. Plus, I think you're scaring him," he says and winks at me. "Go and get the drinks and I'll meet you at the register."

"Fine. It was very nice meeting you, Seth. I hope to see you soon." Thankfully, this time she walks away.

"Sorry about Alice. She tends to get overly excited about things. I think it's all the coffee she drinks. Anyway, um, if you're _not_ doing anything this Sunday, you're more than welcome to come over. It won't be a large get together. Just me, Alice, my brother Peter and a few friends. You don't have to come of course, so don't feel pressured or anything. You can even bring a friend if you like if that would make you feel more comfortable," Riley rambles, and his face turns red again.

_Why is he blushing? Oh who cares why...that blush makes him look even more gorgeous than he already is... Stop thinking this way! You have to work with this guy and it won't help if you mentally drool over him the whole time! Oh shit! I'm staring at him again, and I haven't even answered him yet! Good one, Seth!_

"Uh...I don't know...I mean...uh..." I so eloquently answer.

_Seriously? That's the answer I come up with? Why do I have to be so dumb?_

"Tell you what. Let me give you my address, and if you feel up to it, come on over. If not, I'll see you Tuesday before class." Riley pulls out his cell phone from his pocket. "Um, would it be okay if I text you my address? I don't have anything to write it on."

I hand him my phone. "Um, I don't know the number by heart. I just got the phone a month ago and I'm still trying to figure out how to use it." I never had a cell phone until I moved to Seattle, but I wanted to keep in touch with Billy since Jake didn't have a home phone at the apartment we shared. I ended up with one of those smart phones that have more features than I know what to do with.

Riley starts typing away on my phone and a second later his phone beeps. Then he starts typing on his phone and my phone beeps. He looks up at me and smiles, showing me those dimples again. "Okay, I just sent you my address, and you now have my phone number and I have yours. Look under your text messages to see it." He hands back my phone.

"Uh, thanks. I'll, uh, text you to let you know if I'm coming over or not. I better get going before my food thaws out and my flowers wilt," I say, pointing to my shopping cart.

"Yeah, I probably should get a move on before Alice comes back looking for me. It was really nice talking to you, Seth. Hope you can make it on Sunday."

"It was nice talking to you, too." I grab my cart and wave goodbye to him as I make my way to the register.

* * *

"Hey, lil' bro. Looks like you bought out the whole store," Jake laughs as soon as he sees me walk through the door.

"Yeah, a little help would be nice," I reply. Jake gets off the couch and relieves me of some of the bags and helps me put away the stuff. After everything is in order, I start making dinner. Jake eats out a lot, but sometimes I cook for him because at least one of us should be worried about his health. I end up making enough shrimp fajitas to feed an army, but of course I live with Jake, so it's only enough to feed the two of us.

After dinner, Jake washes the dishes while I work on dessert; warm croissants with nutella in the middle, one of my favorite things in the world. Jake finishes up in the kitchen and we make our way to the living room, desserts in hand.

"How's school going? Make any friends yet?" Jake asks, mouth full of croissant. Jake has been asking me this since the quarter started three weeks ago. He and Billy have been trying to get me out of my shell for years, but it hasn't happened yet. Jake was the one that encouraged me to enroll in community college, since I had no idea what to do with my life.

"School is okay, I guess. And no, Jake, I haven't made any friends, unless you count the guy I met today in Italian class that I have to partner up with for the final project."

"Well, that's a start. Seth. I worry about you. You came here because you wanted to get out of La Push, but you may as well have stayed there since you're living the same way, with only me and dad to talk to. I want you to be happy, Seth."

"But Jake, it's just easier this way. I have no idea how to make friends, and talking to people scares the shit out of me."

"Seth, you're never going to get over that fear unless you try. Now, tell me about this guy you met today." I blush at the thought of Riley. "What has you blushing, Seth? Do you like the guy? Do you think he's cute? Is my little brother in love?" Jake laughs, as I throw a pillow at him. I had come out to Jake and Billy when I was sixteen. Thankfully, they were okay with it.

"Jake! This is so embarrassing!" I bury my face in a pillow to avoid having to answer.

"Come on Seth, tell me. You know you want to. Tell me about your man." Jake pulls the pillow away from my face and gives me a big grin. For someone four years older than me, he sure looks like a little kid when he smiles.

"Alright, alright. His name is Riley. We had to pick partners in class and Riley came up to me. I made a complete fool of myself, but he still wants to work with me. I also ran into him at the grocery store and we talked for a bit, well he did most of the talking. And then his friend showed up and she scared me because for some reason she was super excited to meet me, and then somehow I was invited over to their place for a barbecue on Sunday. Riley says I can bring someone if I want, but I don't think I'm going. Oh, and Riley is the cutest boy I've ever seen." I bury my face in the pillow again.

"Oh my god, Seth! That's fantastic! Sounds like this Riley guy likes you! He picked you as his partner, right?" I nod from behind the pillow. "And, he invited you over to his house? Seth, you're going to the barbecue."

I look up and stare at Jake. "What? Why? I won't know anyone there! I can barely hold a conversation with Riley when I'm right in front of him. How will I manage to be in a room full of strangers? And I doubt Riley likes me. I think that girl Alice is his girlfriend since they live together. Plus, she's the one who invited me. Riley only asked me after she mentioned it."

"You're going, Seth. Even if he does have a girlfriend, at least this is your chance to make friends. I'll even come with you, okay? Come on, it'll be fun! If nothing else, we'll get free food out of it!" Typical Jake, always thinking about food.

"Fine. We'll go. Um, Riley texted me his address. Since you know the area better than me, I'll let you figure out where his house is." I hand Jake my phone.

"Ooh, you got his number. Seth, did you even look at his text? He wrote something to you." Jake hands me my phone and I look down at the screen.

_**Non vedo l'ora di rivederti**_

It took me a while to to figure out what it said. When I looked up the words in my Italian dictionary it didn't make sense, so I went online.

_**I can't wait to see you again.**_

* * *

The rest of the week flies by and I haven't stopped thinking about Riley's text and what it meant. He can't wait to see me again? What does that mean? Does he really like me like Jake says? Maybe he's just being friendly? How does one know if someone is interested in being more than a friend?

After a night full of dreams starring Riley, I wake up Sunday morning with a very hard and leaking cock trying to poke its way out of my boxer-briefs. I hadn't even thought about him in a sexual way, but apparently my subconscious has. Sighing, I push down my boxers, grab my cock, and start slowly stroking it up and down. I try to clear my mind and just focus on the feeling, but an image of a blushing Riley makes its appearance. I begin to stroke faster, moving my other hand to squeeze my balls. My imagination takes me to a blushing Riley dropping down to his knees and unbuttoning my jeans...and my cock erupts, shooting cum all over my chest and my sheets. I hadn't even imagined us naked, yet I had the strongest orgasm of my life.

_I just imagined Riley while I was jerking off..._

"Oh my god," I groan at the thought and bury my face in my hands. I can tell I'm blushing by the heat on my cheeks. Just great, I can't even jerk off without getting embarrassed! There's no way I can face him today, no way. I'll probably get a hard-on when he answers the door! Dammit! Why the hell did I text him telling him I was coming over?

After a quick cleanup, I go out for a run, hoping it'll help clear my head. After a 5-mile run, a shower, and some breakfast, I find myself still having trouble controlling my nerves. I decide to bake some cookies to bring to the barbecue because I really need to focus on something so I won't go crazy. I end up making four dozen cinnamon chocolate chip cookies since I have no idea how many people will be there. If I made too many, I'm sure Jake will eat the rest.

"Ready to go?" Jake asks an hour later as I'm packing up the cookies.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm nervous, Jake. I've never been invited anywhere before. What if I make a fool of myself? What if the other people don't like me?" I can feel my hands begin to shake and tears come to my eyes. Jake walks up to me and gives me one of his big bear hugs.

"There's nothing to worry about. It's okay to be nervous, but you'll be fine, Seth. So come on and let's go have some fun!" Jake says with a laugh, gives me another hug and heads for the door.

Shaking my head at his silliness, I grab the cookies and follow him out of the apartment. Riley's house is about a five minute drive from the apartment. When we arrive I focus on my breathing as we walk to the door. Jake rings the doorbell and a second later Riley greets us at the door. My breath hitches at the sight of him. He's wearing a tight black t-shirt and snug jeans. He's fucking gorgeous.

"Hi, Seth!" Riley greets me with a smile. I see his smile fade as he sees Jake standing next to me. "Oh, you brought a friend."

Apparently I forgot how to speak, because after a few seconds Jake nudges me to introduce him. "Um, Hi, Riley. This is Jake. Jake, this is Riley." I say, once I finally find my voice.

"Very nice to meet you, Riley," Jake says. "Hope you don't mind me tagging along with my little brother."

Riley smiles again and his eyes light up. "Oh, you're brothers. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jake. Please, come in!"

As we follow Riley into the house, Jake leans over and whispers to me, "He totally likes you."

_Yeah, right..._

Entering the living room, I see Alice sitting on a brown-haired guy's lap, chatting with two very good looking guys holding hands sitting across from them; one has blond wavy hair and the other has reddish-brown hair. I wonder if they're boyfriends?

As soon as she sees us she squeals, "Seth! You made it!" and jumps up and hugs me. I stiffen at the contact, almost dropping the cookies. Luckily, the guy she was sitting on gets up and extracts her from me.

"Hi, Seth. I see you've met my girlfriend Alice. I'm Peter, Riley's brother. The blond guy behind me is my best friend Jasper and his boyfriend Edward." After exchanging hellos and introducing Jake, everyone sits down. I'm left standing next to Riley.

"Oh, uh, I baked some cookies for everyone. Where should I put them?"

"You bake? I love cookies! Come on, you can bring them to the kitchen." As I follow him he tells me that this is the house he grew up in, and he, Alice and Peter all live here. His parents moved out of Seattle over the summer and left the house to them. We make it into the kitchen and I immediately fall in love with the room. If only I had a kitchen like this at home with plenty of counter space, a double oven, and an island in the middle of the room, with the stove built in.

"Wow," I breath out. I can feel Riley watching me as I take in the room. I turn to look and find him grinning at me "Um, sorry, it's just that this is my dream kitchen. The one I have at home is so tiny I can barely fit anything in it, and my stove is constantly giving me trouble."

"You cook, too? I'm so useless in the kitchen. I always end up burning things. Maybe you can teach me how to cook some day? You can even use this kitchen for my lessons," Riley says, a slight blush marking his cheeks. "Hey, I know what we can do for the project! Why not cook for the class? We can find recipes from different regions in Italy!"

"Um, but Volturi says we have to present it in Italian. How are we going to do that?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll help you out. I lived in Italy for three months with a family through a student exchange program. I picked up a lot of the language while I was there. I'm taking this class to brush up on my grammar, and hopefully with more classes I'll eventually become fluent. So what do you think about the cooking idea?"

"Uh, the cooking part sounds fine, but the speaking part scares me. I have a hard time talking to people." I blush and look down at my feet.

"You're doing a good job talking to me, Seth. You'll be fine. You'll probably wow everyone with your cooking skills so much that they won't even notice how you pronounce the words!" Riley says with a laugh. His laughter is contagious and I find myself laughing along with him.

We make our way into the living room to join the others, but the room is empty when we enter. Looking outside the window, I see everyone sitting in front of an outdoor fire pit near the grill. I see Jake laughing with the others. He makes socializing look so easy.

I look away from the window and take in the room. I notice there are a bunch of pictures adorning the walls, featuring Riley and Peter at different stages of their lives. Judging by the smiles on their faces, they must have had a great childhood. I focus my attention on a picture of Riley dressed up as a glam rocker, which causes me to giggle.

"I see you've found the embarrassing photos my mother insisted we keep on the walls," Riley says. I look over my shoulder and see him standing close behind me. "That's when I went through my David Bowie phase during junior year. I ended up winning best costume at the Halloween party that night."

"That's cool. Must have been fun dressing up," I say. I never did anything for Halloween as a kid, and when I moved in with Billy, all he ever did was hand out candy to kids that knocked on the door. He had already done the trick-or-treating thing with Jake years before.

"So, do your parents still have embarrassing pictures of you and Jake displayed for everyone to see?" Riley asks.

"Um, well, I know Jake's dad Billy has pictures of Jake all over the house. Billy took some of me when I was a kid, and took more once I moved into his house. I don't know if there are any embarrassing ones, though."

"Billy? You guys have different dads?" Riley asks, brows drawn in confusion.

"Oh, um, we're not actually related. I just consider him my brother since I spent more time at their house than I did my own. Billy took care of me when my father couldn't. I never knew my mother." I look away from Riley. I hate thinking about the past.

"Well, I'm glad you have Billy and Jake in your life," Riley says and gives my shoulder a squeeze. "Okay, enough with trips down memory lane for now. Let's go join the others, okay?" I nod, and we make our way outside.

We spend the next two hours eating and laughing at jokes and stories. I don't talk much, but I enjoy watching how they all interact with each other. Jake is the life of the party, making everyone laugh at his jokes. Riley and Peter take turns telling us about crazy things they did as kids. Peter and Alice are clearly in love, but enjoy teasing each other. I find myself watching Jasper and Edward a lot of the time. They're affectionate, holding hands, giving each other soft kisses and caresses here and there, giving each other little smiles. They are beautiful to watch. I really wish I could have that someday.

After Jake and I say our goodbyes, Riley stops me as I reach the door. "I know we discussed the project already, but, um, I still want to meet for coffee on Tuesday. I'd like to spend more time with you."

"I'd like that," I reply, giving him a smile and wave as I make my way to the car.

* * *

I arrive at the coffee shop a few minutes before nine on Tuesday. I see Riley sitting at a table near the entrance as I make my way inside. "Hi, Seth," he greets me and gets up, pulling me into a hug. Not knowing how to react, I find my arms wrapping around his waist, breathing in his scent since my face somehow got buried in his neck.

_He smells so good..._

"Hi, Riley," I say into his neck, causing my lips to brush his skin.

_Shit...I hope he doesn't think I just kissed his neck...not that I don't want to kiss his neck..._

Riley pulls away and gives me a smile. "Well, shall we get some coffee?" I nod and walk to the front to order. We sit down after picking up our drinks, and spend the next half hour getting to know each other. Riley asks me about my other classes and about work, and I learn that he's studying to be a massage therapist and works part-time at a day spa. I'm finding that the more time I spend with Riley, the easier it is to talk to him.

"Do you want to go for a walk around campus?" Riley asks, after we finish our coffees. We still have a half-hour before class starts. I nod, and we make our way out of the coffee shop.

After silently walking side by side for a few minutes, Riley stops at a bench and sits down and pats the spot next to him. I sit down next to him and look his way. "Seth," Riley says. "Um, shit, this is hard. I've never done this before," he mumbles. I notice the cute blush appear on his cheeks. "Okay, I'm just going to say it and hope you don't hate me afterwards. I like you, Seth. I really like you, and not in a 'just friends' kind of way. I like you in a 'I want to be your boyfriend' kind of way. Before we partnered up in class I spent three weeks watching you, hoping that just once you'd look my way. The moment Volturi announced that we had to pick partners I jumped at the chance to get to know you."

_What? He's gay? He likes me, too? He wants to me my boyfriend?!_

"Um, I like you too, Riley," I say, and look down once I feel my face heat up.

"I love it when you blush," Riley says and brings his hand to my face to caress my cheek. I look up and see him grinning.

"Well, that's good, since I can't stop myself from blushing when I'm around you," I say, causing him to laugh.

"Come on, let's continue our walk," Riley says as he gets up off the bench. As I stand up, Riley reaches for my hand and entwines his fingers with mine. I look up at him with wide eyes, then look at our hands, then back up. I can't stop the grin that comes to me face, matching the one on Riley's.

* * *

Riley and I spend a lot of time together the next two weeks. We've met up for coffee a few times, done homework together at the apartment and at his house, gone for walks around campus, and I've given him one cooking lesson so far. I'm still nervous around him, but at least I've managed to not make a fool of myself...I hope. I still can't believe he likes me. He's taking me out today for our first official date, as he calls it. He won't tell me where we're going. All I know is that he said to dress casual, and that he'll be here any minute. I'm getting very nervous, since I have no idea what you're supposed to do on a date. Jake gave me some advice earlier, but it didn't help much, since he's never had a problem with dating.

Riley and I haven't done anything more than hug and hold hands. I've never kissed anyone before, but I really want to feel Riley's lips against mine. How does one know when the right time to kiss someone is? And once you reach the kissing stage, how do you move forward from there? I've been too afraid to ask Riley if he's ever been with anyone. If he has, wouldn't he want to be with someone that has experience, instead of a clueless virgin like me?

A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts. I take a few calming breaths as I make my way to the door. I open it and see Riley looking absolutely gorgeous, standing there with smile on his face a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Hi, Seth," he greets me. Handing me the flowers, he leans over and kisses me on the cheek. "You look gorgeous by the way," he whispers in my ear before he moves away. I think my breathing stopped the moment his lips met my skin.

_Did he just kiss me? Oh my gawd...he just kissed me!_

Letting out a shaky breath, I reply, "Thanks, Riley...uh...for the flowers. And, you look great, too. Um, let me put them in some water, and then we can go." I turn away from him, hoping he doesn't catch the goofy grin that's appeared on my face. I lift my hand to my cheek wondering if I can still feel the warmth of his lips there.

Riley follows me to the kitchen and I fill up a vase with water to put my flowers in. I notice the bouquet has stargazer lilies. "How'd you know these are my favorite flowers?" I ask.

"I have my ways," Riley says, and winks at me. He glances at his watch. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, let me just grab my coat."

As we make it to Riley's car, he unlocks it with a remote and opens the passenger door for me. Once we're both inside, he grabs my hand and gives it a kiss. "Hope you like where we're going." He smiles at me and starts the car.

Feeling giddy from his two kisses, I feel bold and say "As long as I'm with you, I'm sure I will."

A half-hour later we find ourselves on a ferry directed to Bainbridge Island. The weather is pleasant for this time of year, so Riley and I decide to go to the upper deck of the ferry. I haven't been able to stop smiling since I stepped foot on the ferry. I didn't get out much while living in La Push, and I haven't been very adventurous since I moved to Seattle, tending to stay close to home. Riley had left his car parked at the pier's parking garage and said we were going to explore the island on foot.

As the Ferry departs, I make my way up to the railing and take in the sight of Puget Sound. Riley steps behind me and wraps his arms around me, holding me close. Over the past week I've noticed he's been more affectionate towards me. One night after we finished our homework, we ended up snuggling on the couch at his house watching a movie, with his arms wrapped around me as I leaned back on him. I had really wanted to turn around and kiss him right then and there, but I was too afraid, considering I don't even know how to kiss. What if I'm bad at it?

Once the ferry arrives at the island, we make our way to the main street. Our first stop is a bakery. We both pick up warm pastries and cups of coffee and continue strolling through the downtown area. We spend the next few hours exploring the various shops and galleries in town, stopping to take pictures of each other with our phones. We have lunch at a lovely bistro near the beach, sitting outside enjoying the weather and looking out over Puget Sound. The food is absolutely delicious, and for dessert we decide on sharing the tiramisù. I try not to stare at Riley's lips as he licks the dessert from his spoon, but ever since he kissed my cheek this morning, my eyes have been focusing on his mouth.

_I really want to know what his lips feel like against mine..._

After lunch, we walk down to the beach, remove our shoes, and take a stroll along the shore. We find a spot on the sand, and Riley opens up the backpack he's been carrying and pulls out a beach blanket. I help him lay it out on the sand and then we both sit down. After looking at the ocean in silence for a few minutes, I notice Riley's gaze on me. We're sitting very close to each other, so as I turn my head towards him, I find my face a few inches away from his. He lifts his hand to caress my cheek and I lean into his touch. I'm caught in his gaze, unable to look away from those beautiful hazel eyes.

"I'm having a really great time with you today. Thank you for bringing me here," I say, in an almost breathless whisper. Riley's gaze falls to my lips, then back to my eyes.

"I'm glad," he replies, then looks down to my lips again. He leans even closer to my face, and my heartbeat begins to speed up.

_Is he going to do what I hope he's going to do?_

"Seth...can I kiss you?" he asks, leaning even closer.

_He is!_

Without answering him, I lean the rest of the way and place my lips against his. Not knowing what to do next I pull away slightly, but Riley moves his hand from my cheek to the back of my head and pulls me back. From what I've seen, people tend to close their eyes while kissing, so I close mine and get lost in the sensation of Riley's soft lips against mine. I have no idea what I'm doing, but Riley seems to. He starts moving his lips against mine, guiding my lips to match his movements. I bring one of my hands to the back of his head, running my fingers through his soft hair, like he's doing to mine. Before I'm ready for it to end, Riley pulls back and leans his forehead against mine.

"I've wanted to do that since the first moment I laid eyes on you," he says breathlessly.

"I'm glad you did. I've never done that before," I say.

Grinning at me, he says, "I've never kissed a boy before, and the only kiss I've had pales in comparison. Let's do it again," he says, and brings my lips back to his. This time he adds more pressure, sucking my bottom lip just slightly. He releases my bottom lip, and traces my lips with is tongue. I open my mouth a little, and his tongue slips into my mouth. The moment my tongue touches his, I let out a moan. He tastes so damn good, a mixture of tiramisù and a deliciousness I cannot begin to describe. The slow caress of our tongues makes my cock take notice, and it decides to make its presence known. The moment I feel my cock swelling to the point of pain in the confines of my pants, I pull away. Both of us are breathing heavily, and I notice Riley's face flushed and his lips slightly swollen.

"Wow," we both say at the same time. We grin at each other and then take in our surroundings. It's a good thing I pulled away when I did - I had forgotten we were at a public beach with lots of people around.

"We really should get going if we're going to get to the ferry in time," Riley says after a few moments. We put our shoes back on, pack up the blanket, and make out way to the ferry dock. The ferry ride back goes by fast, neither one of us paying attention to our surroundings, preferring to give each other soft kisses instead.

"Hey, do you want to come over to my house tomorrow?" Riley asks once we're back in his car. "I'd like to have another cooking lesson since the last one didn't go so well." I laugh at the memory of Riley spilling bolognese sauce all over the kitchen counter during the first lesson.

"Sure, that sounds good. I work until 4, so I can go over there after my shift." We spend the rest of the ride discussing recipe ideas for our project. Riley has been helping me with my Italian, but I still don't think I can speak in front of the whole class.

We arrive at my apartment building and I'm reluctant to get out of the car. This day has been so perfect that I don't want it to end.

"Thanks again for taking me to the island. I loved spending the day with you," I say.

Riley leans over and kisses me softly. "You're welcome," he says against my lips and kisses me again. I pull away breathlessly.

"See you tomorrow," I say. I get out of his car, waving to him as I head towards my apartment.

* * *

"You're here early" Riley says as he greets me at the door. He kisses me on the cheek, just like he did yesterday. "Not that I'm complaining," he whispers in my ear.

"Yeah, they let me leave early, since it was a slow day and there wasn't much to do," I say, as I follow him in to the living room and sit next to him on the couch.

"Um...so what are we cooking today?" I ask.

Riley leans over and kisses me. "Well...I don't know. I've been having trouble concentrating today. I can't stop thinking about yesterday, " he says and brings our lips back together.

Quickly getting lost in the sensation of the kiss, I find myself leaning back against the couch, and Riley following me down. My hands tangle themselves in his hair, our tongues moving against each other's. I feel Riley's hand trail down my side and settle itself against my hip, his other hand caressing my face. My cock once again makes itself known and I pull away before Riley feels it. I'm not sure what would happen if he did. Would he want to have sex? I look up at Riley and give him a shy smile, not knowing what to do next.

"Uh...maybe we should continue this in my bedroom before Alice and Peter get home," he says. I blush at the thought of getting caught making out.

"Okay," I reply breathlessly. Once in his room, Riley makes his way to his bed and I follow. I can feel my nerves pick up, but I decide to let whatever happens, happen.

We start kissing again, slowly at first, but it soon becomes intense. Hands start exploring bodies, tongues caress, and Riley somehow ends up on his back. My cock is so hard it's aching, in need of some kind of friction, begging for release. I pull away to try and calm myself down before I make a fool of myself and cum in my pants. I look down at Riley breathing heavily, and notice the hand that was on my hip is now rubbing his cock through his jeans.

_Oh, thank gawd I'm not only one affected by this..._

"Fuck," I whisper, as I continue staring at the movement of his hand. I look up at him , and notice him staring at the outline of my erection, and he lets out a moan. The sound somehow snaps me out of my trance and I move his hand away from his cock. I lean over and kiss him hard, placing my hips against his, slowly grinding our cocks together. Riley brings his hands down my back and settles them on my ass, lifting his hips just enough to help him push his cock even harder against mine. From there our kisses begin to grow frantic, cocks grinding faster and harder against each other, sounds of our moaning fill up the room. I can feel myself getting close to cumming, and I don't think I can hold off. So with one final thrust against Riley, I cry out as my orgasm rips through me, hearing Riley moan as he too finds his release.

I collapse on top of Riley, trying to catch my breath. "Holy shit," I say.

"Fuck," Riley replies, equally as breathless. "That was fucking hot."

"Hell yes it was. Can we do it again?"


End file.
